Champions Participants Rewarded with AFC Fylde Matchday Experience

As AFC Fylde prepare to face Worksop Town on Saturday 11th October, our Champions participants will be in attendance as a reward for their participation over the last year.

In July of this year a group of 11 young lads from Carr Hill High School represented AFC Fylde Community Foundation in the Champions Football Tournament at Accrington Stanley Community Trust Sports Hub.

The Foundation has offered the boys with the opportunity to experience an AFC Fylde matchday for free as a result of their recent behaviour and their contribution to the tournament.

Champions is an innovative programme supporting young people, aged 10-25 with experience of or at risk of offending behaviours. The programme is delivered by nine football club community organisations (CCOs) across Lancashire.

Adopting a trauma informed approach, mentors give their time with genuine interest to create a trusted relationship and innovative approaches which promote personal development, wellbeing gains and consequently reducing their experience of offending and anti-social behaviours.

The programme is confidential and non-judgemental. Mentors don't work for the police and aren't involved in criminal proceedings.

The Carr Hill students attended group support sessions which included talks on knife crime and anti-social behaviour whilst also educating them on the dangers of vaping and smoking.

One of our Champions mentors, Gary Smith, said: "The great thing about Champions is that it's voluntary; the young people we work with actively want our help.

"We aren't their teachers or their parents - they believe they can open up to us without judgement, as a separate trusted adult, making building a rapport with them that much easier.

"This particular group of lads have been great to work with and I'm very pleased to be able to offer them this opportunity."

We hope you all have a great time watching the match!